


The Beat of the City

by Zillabird



Series: A Conflict of Interest [1]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Handcuffs, Kissing, M/M, Manhandling, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-26
Updated: 2016-01-26
Packaged: 2018-05-16 08:30:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5821408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zillabird/pseuds/Zillabird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Detective Jason Todd of the GCPD has a run in with Gotham's new vigilante and it does not go as expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Beat of the City

**Author's Note:**

> An extra bowl of Crocky Crunch to KaRaEa who is writing this series of one shots with me.
> 
> Also note that this fic takes place in a series which will contain Tim Drake/Dick Grayson/Jason Todd/Damian Wayne and all variations of that pairing.

Unless you grew up in the city, you’d never understand it. You’d never understand cities at all. There was a life to them that you just didn’t find anywhere else. It beat beneath the city to the same grumble of the subway lines, pounded like blood as the traffic flowed from one side of the city to the other and back. It was congested and chaotic like a catastrophe of commotion and it was the rhythm that flowed in Jason’s veins.

Born and raised on the streets of this city, Jason knew Gotham like the back of his hand. He felt its life like it was pounding in him. Like they breathed as one. And just in the same way that he knew when the specific chaos of Gotham was chaotic in just the right way, he knew when something was wrong with his city.

Like a shadow leaping down a rickety metal fire escape on the side of the welfare housing unit before landing silently on the ground below. Detective Jason Todd lowered his Styrofoam cup of coffee, swill really, and stepped out of his unmarked car. Those damn bastards were right in the bullpen at work. Someone, or some _thing_ , was here in Gotham that shouldn’t be.

He made his way across the street, sliding his hand to the holster at his hip to unlock the strap and pull out the gun. He kept it low to his side, knew better than to wave it around like the trigger happy rookies at the station.

The shadow moved in the darkness of the alley. Had Jason not grown up looking down this alley, he wouldn’t have been able to make out the distinctive shape of a person. “Hey!”

The shadow spun at the sound of his voice, surprise evident in the way it tightened into itself.

Hey. Detective Jason Todd, best closure rate of the Gotham City Police Department, decorated officer. The best he could manage was… hey.

Jason had to move quickly when the shadow darted for the alleyway opening, trying to slip past Jason on his way out. Jason wasn’t going to fire a gun into the dark so he put it in his holster as he spun on his heel, grabbing the mystery man as he stepped into the edge of the streetlight.

Black. Blue. Jason was pretty sure he caught sight of a mask. When he shoved the man into the brick wall beside them, his pretty sure ramped up to definitely.

Did this motherfucker think tonight was a masquerade ball?

“Who the hell are you?” Jason asked.

The mask had white lenses, hiding the eyes behind them, but Jason just _knew_ that the man’s gaze dropped down to the badge on his belt. “Hello, Officer.”

 “It’s Detective,” Jason corrected. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

“Who the hell am I?” The man asked.

Jason nearly growled, because there was a smile in the man’s voice even if there wasn’t one on his face. “That’s what I said.”

“Twice, if I remember correctly,” he replied.

Jason used the handfuls he had of the man’s… costume? What the fuck kind of getup was this? And slammed the man back into the brick wall again. “Answer my question.”

“I’m Nightwing,” he said.

And that’s how Jason met the new vigilante of Gotham.

~~~

Dick Grayson was not having a great night. For starters, Gotham was having a slow night. He should have been thrilled but Dick was too much of an adrenaline junkie for that. He pretended it was because it was quiet, too quiet, and not because Dick had been all excited about getting out onto the streets again only to find himself bored.

He wasn’t as bored now.

Now when Officer – correction, _Detective_ – Blue Eyes had his hands on Dick’s chest and was pressing him into the wall. Dick had the sexual drive of a nymphomaniac rabbit on a little blue pill and it was all rushing back with the press of a warm body against him.

Maybe Dick had been trying to let off steam the wrong way.

“What the fuck is a Nightwing?” Detective Blue Eyes asked. “I thought you were supposed to be a Bat.”

There was an actual story to that. Not one he could go into without getting into Bruce and the Justice League and the Man of Steel himself. The second part of the man’s statement had him showing an irritated scowl. “That would be the other vigilante.”

Well, not the other vigilante anymore. Not with Bruce pushing up daisies. But Dick was back home and he’d keep Bruce’s city in line, with Damian’s help once the teen was back on his feet.

“What about you, Detective Blue Eyes,” Dick said. “What’s your name?”

Dick thought he saw the corner of the man’s mouth quirk up at the nickname. “Detective Jason Todd, GCPD. And you, _Nightwing_ , are under arrest for vigilantism. And for wearing this dumbass looking costume.”

“I like this costume,” Dick said, defensively. If Detective Todd thought this one was bad, he should have seen Robin. Short pants. Pixie boots. Not Dick’s finest hour. The moment the cuffs came out, Dick had to stop playing around. The cop was serious and Dick was _not_ about to end up in jail for doing the GCPD’s job better than the GCPD. He dodged the shiny silver bracelet Jason was trying to put around Dick’s wrist and bumped it with the side of his forearm, knocking it up so that he could catch it with his other hand and then wrap it around Jason’s wrist. The shock gave the detective enough pause that Dick acted fast enough to grab the other one and had the cop handcuffed with his own toys seconds later. “I don’t approve of experimentation on the first date, Detective.”

Blue eyes nearly glowed with anger. “Why you little-“

“I think I might actually be a little older than you, Detective. What are you? Twenty five? Twenty Six?” Dick asked.

Jason reached forward again, grabbing Dick’s costume. Dick lifted his hands up, breaking the hold and switching their positions to push the detective up against the wall. There was a flash of something in his eyes and Dick backtracked quickly. “Hey, look. You’re not in danger, okay? I don’t even carry a gun. But I’m not going to let you arrest me.”

Jason bucked, trying to dislodge Dick. He might have succeeded, he had the advantage of being bigger and taller, but Dick had a lot of practice sparring against Bruce who was even bigger and taller than Detective Todd here.

“Calm down,” Dick ordered.

“Bite me,” Jason snapped.

Dick smirked. “No experimentation on the first date, remember?”

“You think you’re funny?” Jason asked.

Dick shrugged. “Usually.”

Jason gave him a mocking smile before hooking his leg around the back of Dick’s knee, pulling hard to knock the vigilante off balance. Dick stumbled back, enough that Jason could shove him with his bound hands and knock Dick onto his ass. The cop knelt down, straddling Dick’s stomach and settling his weight there to keep Dick still.

“Is this one of those official pins they teach you in police academy?” Dick asked, still smirking.

“Shut up,” Jason said, canting his hips to get to the phone in his front pocket.

Dick sighed and brought his leg up over Jason’s head. It took the cop by surprise and Dick had him on _his_ back in time to take the phone out of the Jason’s hands. “I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot.”

“I will enjoy throwing your ass into jail,” Jason said.

Dick laughed at that. “I’m sure you would, Detective. I’m sure you would. How about I make you a deal? I’ll give you this phone back, let you call whoever you want, and all you have to do is give me a kiss.”

Blue eyes widened slightly, the first crack in that tough man exterior Dick had seen since he’d run into Gotham’s finest. “What makes you think I want to kiss you?”

“Pupil dilation and a rise in your pulse when I mentioned it,” Dick said, tapping his fingers on Jason’s chest where he could feel his heartbeat. “But you can tell yourself that it’s to get the phone back if you want to.”

Jason’s jaw clenched. “Fine. Accost me in a back alley.”

“You say that like I’m not capable of romance,” Dick said. He did wait though, making sure his detective was actually comfortable with it, and then leaned over to press their mouths together.

Jason seemed to try valiantly to keep it chaste but Dick was nothing if not persuasive and encouraged lips to part against his to slip his tongue between them. There was a faint taste of cigarettes. His detective had a vice, apparently, and gum. Mint flavored. Maybe Detective Todd was trying to quit his bad habit. Teeth clicked, lips pressed together hard, and the kiss quickly deteriorated from chaste to heated.

Dick pulled back when his lungs burned and smiled at the red puffy look left on the man’s lips below him. He set the phone down on Jason’s chest and stood. “I think I’d best be going.”

Jason climbed to his feet, reaching onto his belt for the handcuff keys and snapping his head up when something jingled over by the vigilante. Shiny silver keys danged from between his fingers. “You son of a bitch!”

“Language, Detective,” Dick chastised. “Have a nice night!”

~~~

Roy laughed and Jason wanted to punch him. “Harp-“

“I see your Bat hunting went well,” Roy said.

“Shut up, Harper,” Jason grumbled, holding his hands out as Roy pulled the spare keys out of his drawer and unlocked the cuffs around Jason’s wrists. “It wasn’t the Bat.”

“Well, you caught _somebody_ tonight,” Roy said, a knowing glance directed towards Jason’s lips.

Jason flushed. “Nightwing.”

“What the hell is a Nightwing?” Roy asked.

“Hell if I know,” Jason said.

“What’s it taste like?” Roy asked, mocking note heavy on his tone.

Jason thought about it for a moment and then replied, “Crocky Crunch.”

Roy was laughing again.


End file.
